Lesson of Love
by Shitoyaka-chan
Summary: title is self-explanitory. After watching Naruto get shot down yet-again, Sai begins to wonder about this feeling called 'love', what will happen when he finds out what it is?
1. Sai's Lesson

Alright, this is my first crack at writing Naruto, so I'm probably way off when it comes to personalities. I think I got it right though. This little piece of insanity was brought on by my thinking about Sai not understanding feelings such as love (again, way off. I know he understands… but this wouldn't have worked out.) Just a short, Naru/Sai with a hint of Naru/Saku, and a little hint of angst at the end

"I don't see why you put yourself through this kind of torture, Naruto." Sai said, watching his teammate get shot down for about the fiftieth time. It was a sunny day in Konoha, and the members of Team Seven were taking a day off. What had started out as a simple lunch _al fresco_, had turned into Naruto trying every which way to convince Sakura to go out on a date with him. Now the blonde was sporting quite an impressive collection of lumps on his head- a result of his 'constant pestering' and a very annoyed Sakura was walking away. The dark haired shinobi watched her go from his spot against the trunk of a tree, wondering why the hell someone would subject themselves to this. With a sigh, Naruto sat up and rubbed his throbbing head.

"You wouldn't get it if I told you." He said, reaching for the ramen Sakura was kind enough to leave behind. Slurping the delicious noodles, Naruto almost missed the blank stare he was receiving.

"I'd understand if you explained it to me." Sai said with a little shrug, watching the other boy eat. Naruto shook his head.

"No you wouldn't. It has to do with actual feelings, something you'd never get." There was just the tiniest hint of animosity in his words. True, Naruto didn't _mind_ Sai, but he never really liked the idea of someone who was so inept at feeling normal, human emotions. One dark eyebrow arched gracefully upward as Sai spoke again.

"I've read a lot about lust and sex, but I've never seen someone do what you do," Catching the confused look on Naruto's face, Sai explained himself. "Badger a girl for a date, get shot down and still keep trying. If I remember correctly, the kind of people who thrive on pain are called masochists." One finger came up to his lips as he thought.

"It's not _lust_," Naruto snapped, giving his teammate a harsh glare with his crystal blue eyes. "I have no intention of sleeping with Sakura."

"Then what is your intention? If you don't want sex, what are you after?" Holy hell. _Why_ was he having this conversation about sex and Sakura with _Sai_ of all people? Clearing his throat, the blonde looked away, a noticeable pink tint in his cheeks.

"Why do you care all of a sudden?

"I'm merely trying to study this bizarre emotion you display every time Sakura's around." Sai didn't miss a beat.

"It's complicated."

"I think I can understand." Naruto sighed; he really wasn't going to drop this was he? Pinching the bridge of his nose, Naruto closed his eyes.

"Love, Sai. It's called love." He opened his eyes in time to see the dark haired boy tilt his head ever-so-slightly in confusion. "You really don't know what love is? Come on, even someone like you should know." The pale boy shook his head slightly.

"I may have read about it once-" He started before Naruto waved his hand at him.

"You can't just _read_ about it," He said, shaking his head. "You have to experience it firsthand."

"How does one experience it?" Naruto let out a loud groan.

"You're hopeless, you know that?" His eyes flicked upward as he rolled them. "It's like… uhhhh," The blonde struggled though the right words. "That fluttery feeling you get when they're near." Sai's look was that of utter confusion. He wasn't going to get this, unless Naruto gave him an example. But how the hell could he _show_ someone love? The only way was if Naruto- oh hell no, he wasn't going to do that. There was no way in hell… _no way_ was _he_ going to be the example.

"I don't get it," Sai's soft voice broke through his thoughts. The raved had moved and was now kneeling directly in front of Naruto, hands in his lap. "Is this feeling so strong that it makes someone a masochist?"

"Holy fuck just work with me here! It's not masochistic, Sai," He was going to have to be the example if his friend was ever going to understand it. "It's powerful, and it's the most important feeling humans have." With a resigned sigh, Naruto reached out and picked Sai's hand, holding gently.

"For example," He said, his thumb gently sweeping over the back of the pale hand. "Just one touch from the person you love can bring utter happiness. Something like hand holding is a simple way to express feeling." Sai nodded, taking this as though it was a lesson. "It's wanting to be close to the person, to feel they're skin pressed against yours."

"And we're back to sex."

"It's not about sex!" Naruto snapped. "God, how can I make you understand this? It's not all about sex, it's not something you can study or read about, it's something few find, and fewer hold onto. It's the feeling of pure bliss whenever they speak to you, touch you, smile. It's hoping that they'll press their lips against yours, or even just brush their hand over your cheek or through your hair." He stopped his rant when he saw the pensive expression on the artist's face.

"You feel all of that towards Sakura?"

"That and more," All of a sudden, he caught the crestfallen expression on Sai's face. "What is it?"

"I've felt what you've been describing, I could just never figure out what it was."

"Oh don't tell me you think you're in love with Sakura!" Naruto's voice was filled with competitiveness as he thought of someone else in love with his beloved Sakura. But that dissipated as Sai shook his head.

"No, it's not Sakura." Curiosity was eating away at Naruto. He had to know who Sai thought he was in love with.

"Tell me tell!" He said, rolling up to his knees like an excited little kid. He had about three seconds of the excited feeling before he was roughly pulled forward, nearly into Sai's lap. The artist wrapped his skinny arms around the other boy's shoulders, squeezing tightly. "Sai- ngh- What the hell are you doing?" He tried to push away, but the other boy had him in a very tight hold.

"So this is what you were talking about," Sai's voice was warm and soft as it drifted into Nauto's ear. "I think I get it now." One soft kiss was bestowed of Naruto's cheek before he was released. He half expected the blonde to smack him, but instead he got the other reaction: the wide-eyed gape.

"Sai." His voice came out as thin as paper as he stared at the onyx-eyed boy. The artist face broke out in a small smile as he stood. Tentatively, he reached out and lightly stroked Naruto's cheek before cutting off body all contact.

"I get what love is," He said, tucking his hands behind his head. "Something you and Sakura share… Something we will never have." The words held such sadness, but his face was still contorted in that fake smile. Without another word, the boy stalked away, leaving Naruto kneeling on the grass alone. He swallowed thickly. What had started out as a simple lesson had turned into something horrible. He had taught Sai two things: what love is, and that his love would never be returned.

A/N Sorry for the sucky ending! I couldn't think of anything! But, I think I did alright for it.


	2. Naruto's Lesson

Ok, I keep getting mailed requests to continue this story… Now, I'm the kind of girl that, if you pester me and pester me, I'll do what you want. So here goes.

"Where the hell did that bastard go?" Naruto grumbled, maneuvering the streets of Konoha easily. It had taken him about five minutes to get over the initial shock of Sai's 'opening up', and another three to get onto the streets, but he had _no_ idea where the ANBU op had poofed off to. "Fucking doucheberry!" He grumbled, now so mad that he was starting to make up words. He couldn't believe that bastard! Telling him he loved him then running away. Suddenly, the blonde stopped walking. Shouldn't he just be mad and-quite frankly- a little freaked out that Sai had even said that he loved him? That would be the typical reaction. But for some reason, he was mad that Sai had left him. Letting out an angry little cry, Naruto kept moving, putting all of his energy into finding the asshole. After searching for about an hour, he finally spotted the dark haired boy. He was sitting in a tree, sketching in his book.

"Sai!" He called, making his way over to the base of the tree. The older boy leaned over slightly so he could see him. "Come down here! We need to talk!"

"What is there to talk about?" Sai's voice was that same monotone that it always was. It never used to bother Naruto, but now, it drove him crazy. Growling softly Naruto crouched down and took a mighty leap, managing to land next to the other boy. As quick as he could- for all he knew, Sai would just bolt- he reached forward and grabbed the artist's shirt.

"Would you just listen?!" He snapped, giving him a small shake. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Again with the bored, monotone voice! Except this time, it was accompanied by a bored, unconcerned look. Naruto growled again, fighting the urge to seriously hurt Sai.

"Earlier. I didn't mean to-" Sai held up his hand, successfully cutting him off.

"Do you think that matters to me? So you don't love me. What's the big deal?" He shrugged before returning to his sketchbook. Naruto let out an annoyed sound before roughly grabbing the other's shoulders, twisting him around.

"You are _so_ aggravating!" He said, bringing his face closer to Sai's. "I _know_ you care! I saw you walk away damnit! If you didn't care, you wouldn't have walked away!" The pale boy's eyes widened maybe, a fraction of a centimeter as Naruto continued to hold him in place.

"You bore me. That's why I left."

"Bullshit. I can see it you know. The pain in your eyes. _You_ may not acknowledge it, but it's there." Sai let out a soft chuckle.

"Why are you doing this? If you truly don't love me, why are you apologizing? Do you think you hurt my feelings? Are you that much of a woman?" The blonde ignored the comment. He pushed himself a little closer to Sai. At this range, he could smell the other boy. He smelled of peppermint and earth- an odd combination.

"I don't know." He admitted after a second or so of silence.

"Do you want to know what I think?" Sai tried to pull away to get a better look at Naruto's face, but the blonde wouldn't allow it.

"Not really Sai. To be honest, you're view on love kind of scares me."

"I think you love me… but you won't admit it," The raven went on as if Naruto had never even spoken. "You're afraid of being in live with me… because I'm another male." Without warning, Sai leaned in more, crashing his lips against the others. Naruto was not prepared for this kind of contact. He let out a startled yelp and instinctively threw his body back. Unfortunately, he neglected to calculate a very narrow tree branch into his escape plan. When he threw himself backward, he ended up not only falling backward out of the damn thing, but taking Sai with him. He landed on his back, letting out a soft 'umph' as he connected with soft soil. Sai landed on his knees, in just the right position so that he was straddling the younger boy.

"Sai! Get the hell off me!" He cried, thrashing out under the slightly larger weight. But he noticed that the longer Sai sat on him, the less and less he struggled. With a smirk, the ANBU leaned down, brushing slender fingers against his tan cheek.

"You haven't answered me." His voice was low, nearly a hiss. Naruto shivered from both the husky sound of his voice and the soft touch of his fingers. The digits began traveling lower, ghosting over his neck and collarbone.

"Sai," He gasped out, struggling with himself internally. On w=one hand… this was _Sai!_ A crude, perverted, brash man that he couldn't stand at most times. On the other hand… he liked the feelings he was getting from those fingers. 'You'd like this if _anyone_ was doing this Dipshit!' his mind cried out. But some part of him knew his brain was wrong. Nobody else would be using such tender movements. Nobody else would lightly nuzzle and kiss his neck like Sai was doing now. Nobody else loved him like Sai did. Just then, something broke through his subconscious. He loved Sai. Damn that bastard for being right! Naruto's left hand came up and grabbed Sai's face, tilting it towards him. "I love you." He admitted, slipping his hand behind Sai's head to grab his neck. He roughly pulled him down into a kiss. Letting out a happy sound, Sai parted his lips and lightly licked the bottom of Naruto's lips, asking for entrance. The younger boy obliged, letting the other's skilled tongue slip into his mouth. He had kissed before… and it wasn't half bad. But Sai's kiss made his head spin. He was glad he wasn't standing up because he knew for sure he knees would have buckled. Rustling in the bushes made the two of them stop. Looking up, they saw Sakura walking through the low shrubs. She stopped mid-step when she saw the two boys. A smirk crossed her face and before she could stop herself, she began to uncontrollably laugh.

"So, I'm to assume that the plan worked?" She said, fighting to keep from falling over.

"Plan? What plan?" Naruto asked, giving Sai a look. The pale boy turned just the palest shade of pink.

"That's a 'yes'!" Sakura said with a little cheer, pumping her fist in the air. "Good job Sai! I _told_ you it would work!!" Clarity began to wash over Naruto in waves.

"You asshole! You planned all this?!" He cried, getting angry. "Is this how you get you're laughs? Do you even-?" He was cut off by Sai lightly pressing their lips together.

"You're so cute when you're mad. You know that right?" He was smiling. The actual smile, not the fake, mask-like smile. Naruto chuckled and pulled him closer, hugging his slender body.

"You need to smile more, it looks good on you."

"I only smile for you. Only for the one I love," Sai's voice held traces of amusement. "Let that be _your_ lesson."

* * *

Alright, I'm officially bled dry for ideas... I hope this was good enough


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